It occurs in eastern Peru between the departments of Loreto and Madre de Dios, in northern and northeastern Bolivia, and in Brazil to the Atlantic coast in Pará state.

It inhabits tropical rainforest between sea level and 500 m (1,600 ft) of elevation.

Its diet has not been studied but it has been observed taking a snake and a lizard and is thought to also feed on frogs and large insects.

It was a small platform of sticks, twigs, and leaves placed in the subcanopy about 15 m (50 ft) above the ground.

The white-browed hawk's call is "a high-pitched rather thin downslurred whistle 'keeeeuw' given at intervals.